[STICKY] Ndiswrapper complete guide

We need.

1a. Wine (it comes pre-installed in Zorin core editions). If you don't have it, install it via the software center.
(Wine is needed only if you don't already have the required driver ".inf" files).

1b. Synaptic (it comes pre-installed in Zorin core editions). If you don't have it, install it via the software center.

2. Ndiswrapper. This part has two sections.
2a) Open synaptics package manager. Locate the following packages and mark them for installation (and install them). You need internet (i.e. ethernet connection) for the below step.
i) ndisgtk
ii) ndiswrapper-common
iii) ndiswrapper-utils-1.9
iv) ndiswrapper-source
v) ndiswrapper-dkms

2b) Go here http://sourceforge.net/projects/ndiswrapper/files/ and download the latest ndiswrapper 1.59

3) The ndiswrapper-1.59.tar.gz will be downloaded in your Downloads folder. Extract the package by right-clicking and selecting "extract here".
Open terminal and write

Code:

gksudo nautilus

Nautilus will open with administration rights. Copy the extracted "ndiswrapper-1.59" file from your Downloads folder inside /usr/src
Then open terminal and write the following commands

Code:

cd /usr/src/ndiswrapper-1.59
sudo make
sudo make install

4) You need the .inf files of the drivers of your wireless card. Ignore this step if you already have the required .inf files.
If you don't have them you can find these files either by googling for them, or through the support official site of your laptop model.
In case you have a CD with the drivers insert the windows CD with the wireless drivers. Navigate to the file where the .exe file is and use wine to install it (as you would do in windows). i.e. right click the wireless.exe file and select "open with wine".
After the installation is completed, open your home folder, press ctrl+H to reveal the hidden files and navigate to
.wine/drive_c/windows/inf
Inside the inf folder you should see another folder named after your wirelless card (i.e "D-Link300" or "WNA1100" etc.), within which you should find some files. Copy this entire file to your Downloads folder.

5) Open windows wireless drivers. Select "install new driver" and then navigate/browse to the wireless folder that you copied in step4. Inside this folder there must be a file that ends in ".inf". Select it and press ok. Your wireless should spring to life. If there are more that one files ending in ".inf", try them all (if the 1st one does not work).

If all work fine, restart and see if your wireless engages automatically, otherwise you would need to do the following:
in terminal:

Code:

sudo gedit /etc/modules

In the file that will open, at the end, on a separate line, add the word

Code:

ndiswrapper

Save, close and exit. Then reboot and see if it worked.

Hope all goes ok. It's not a difficult procedure, don't worry.


Note:
In case it works, after kernel updates you may have to do the following in terminal to get your wireless back.

Code:

cd /usr/src/ndiswrapper-1.59
sudo make
sudo make install
sudo modprobe ndiswrapper